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Holding straw between my teeth

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Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati Thakur:

“Holding straw between my teeth, I fall at your feet, and with hundreds of supplications, I say, “Dear sirs, throw away everything and devote yourself to the feet of Sri Chaitanyachandra.’”

 

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s Bengali translation and commentary on this verse rendered into English:

The tridandi-goswami’s method to preach devotion to Gaura: having abandoned all dharmas (sarva-dharma parityaga), devotion to Gaura’s feet is our one and only duty —

dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya
krtva cha kaku-satam etad aham bravimi
he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durat
chaitanya-chandra-charane kurutanuragam
(Sri Chaitanya-chandramrta: 90)

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Be like a bee

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Udhava Gita Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 10

anubhyas ca mahadbhyas casastrebhyah kusalo narahsarvatah saram adadyat puspebhya iva satpadah

Just as a bee takes the nectar from all kinds of flowers, similarly, an intelligent person should take the essence of all the scriptures.

COMMENTARY
One should follow the example of the honeybee, accepting only the essence of life. An intelligent person should be prepared to take lessons from all religious scriptures, whether they be big or small, just as a honeybee collects honey from all kinds of flowers.

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Sri Lalita Devi

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Sri Lalita Devi

A hint of the particular standard of Srimati Lalita Devi’s service has been given by Srila Rupa Goswami:

radha-mukunda-pada-sambhava-gharmabindu
nirmancanopakarane krta-deha-laksyam

When Lalita Devi finds a drop of perspiration at the feet of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, she furiously engages herself to remove it.
“How has it come there? We are circumambulating Them to see that not the least pain can enter this domain to trouble Them. But how without our notice has this perspiration appeared? Perspiration, perspiration!”
So she is furiously chastising herself, and wants to immediately take birth one lakh (100,000) times – with that force she comes to remove that drop of perspiration from the lotus feet of either of the Divine Couple. If the least difficulty is seen in the serving area, the Lord’s Associates can’t tolerate it in any way, and such eagerness, self-abuse and earnestness is found in them. In krsna-lila Svarupa-damodara is Lalita-devi.

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Krishna’s 64 qualities

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Krishna’s sixty-four qualities

 
Kṛṣṇa has sixty-four important qualifications, and His devotee takes transcendental pleasure in hearing of them.
 

As explained in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Srila Rupa Goswami, the characteristics are as follows:

(1) His body is well constructed;
(2) His body has all auspicious symptoms;
(3) His body is beautiful;
(4) His body is very glorious;
(5) His body is very strong;
(6) He always looks like a boy of sixteen;
(7) He is well versed in various languages;
(8) He is truthful;
(9) He is decorated with pleasing words;
(10) He is expert in speaking;

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Srimad Bhagavatam 4.30.33

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Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.30.33

yāvat te māyayā spṛṣṭā
bhramāma iha karmabhiḥ
tāvad bhavat-prasańgānāḿ
sańgaḥ syān no bhave bhave

TRANSLATION

Dear Lord, as long as we have to remain within this material world due to our material contamination and wander from one type of body to another and from one planet to another, we pray that we may associate with those who are engaged in discussing Your pastimes. We pray for this benediction life after life, in different bodily forms and on different planets.

Criticize a Vaishnava devotee is a thousand times more sinful.

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SRI CHAITANYA BHAGAVATA

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur

The Vaishnava devotees of the Lord are eternally pure and realized souls. Sometimes there are differences of opinion amongst them which might appear like an argument, but in fact, it is an amazing relationship between devotees. Foolish rascals who do not understand this exchange, praise one Vaishnava and denounce the other. Such a mentality will lead to destruction of faith and knowledge. In the scriptures it says that when a foolish wretch worships the lotus feet of a brahmana and then strikes him on the head, he will be sure to go to hell.

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Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.31

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smarantah smārayantaś ca
mitho ‘ghaugha-haram harim
bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā
bibhraty utpulakām tanum

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord constantly discuss the glories of the Personality of Godhead among themselves. Thus they constantly remember the Lord and remind one another of His qualities and pastimes. In this way, by their devotion to the principles of bhakti-yoga, the devotees please the Personality of Godhead, who takes away from them everything inauspicious. Being purified of all impediments, the devotees awaken to pure love of Godhead, and thus, even within this world, their spiritualized bodies exhibit symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, such as standing of the bodily hairs on end.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.55

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visrijati hridayam na yasya sākshād
dharir avaśābhihito ‘py aghaugha-nāśah
pranaya-rasanayā dhritāńghri-padmah
sa bhavati bhāgavata-pradhāna uktah

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind to the conditioned souls that if they call upon Him by speaking His holy name, even unintentionally or unwillingly, the Lord is inclined to destroy innumerable sinful reactions in their hearts. Therefore, when a devotee who has taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet chants the holy name of Krishna with genuine love, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never give up the heart of such a devotee. One who has thus captured the Supreme Lord within his heart is to be known as bhāgavata-pradhāna, the most exalted devotee of the Lord.

Invocation of auspiciousness

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Invocation of auspiciousness

śrī-guru-gaura-gāndharvā-govinda-sundarāṅghrayaḥ
jayanti sa-gaṇair nityaṁ sarvābhīṣta-pradāyinaḥ

All glories to the feet of Sri Guru, Sri Gaurasundar, Sri Sri Gandharva-Govindasundar, and all of Their associates. They are the fulfillers of all our desires eternally.

gaura-vāg-vigrahaṁ vande gauraṅgaṁ gaura-vaibhavam
gaura-saṅkīrtanonmattaṁ gaura-kāruṇya-sundaram
( Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamrita: 1.2)

I offer my obeisance unto the personified message of Sri Gaura—Sri Gurudev, the golden manifestation of Sri Gaura who is perpetually maddened with the sankirtan of Sri Gaura and who reveals the beauty of the mercy of Sri Gaura.

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About Sri Nama sankirtana

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About Sri Nama sankirtana Srila Sanatan Goswami

krishnasya nana-vidha-kirtaneshu
tan-nama-sankirtanam
eva mukhyamtat-prema-sampaj-janane svayam
drak saktam tatah sreshthatamam matam tat

Of the many ways to chant Krisna’s glories, foremost is His nama-sankirtana. It is deemed the best because it can evoke at once the treasure of pure love for Krisna.

(Brihad-Bhagavatamrta 2.3.158)

 

nama-sankirtanam proktam
krishnasya prema-sampadi
balishtham sadhanam sreshtham
paramakarsha-mantravat

The sankirtana of Krisna’s names is praised as the best and most powerful means to attain the treasure of krisna-prema. It is like a potent mantra that can attract precious objects from a distance.
(Brihad-Bhagavatamrta 2.3.164)